I acquired a assessment copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my assessment and all opinions are my very own.

Outlaw Planet by M.R. Carey

Mogsy’s Score: 3.5 of 5 stars

Style: Science Fiction

Collection: Stand Alone

Writer: Orbit (November 18, 2025)

Size: 465 pages

Writer Info: Web site | Twitter

There was a time when choosing up a brand new M.R. Carey novel was nearly all the time a secure wager for me, however admittedly his work lately has been extra hit-or-miss. That stated, it is because he’s all the time pushing himself to strive new concepts, which I like, even when it doesn’t all the time click on for me as a reader. His sci-fi specifically has grown more and more cerebral and info-dense, full of mind-blowing ideas that I can nonetheless respect on an mental degree whereas combating the studying expertise itself.

Outlaw Planet is as soon as once more Carey taking an enormous swing at one thing completely different, this time a style mashup mixing area opera and basic Western right into a story that’s formidable and unusual, attention-grabbing even when it didn’t all the time maintain my consideration. As a notice, whereas the novel is technically set in the identical universe as his Pandominion books, it really works completely effectively as a standalone, and no prior data is required to leap proper in. The sentient, bipedal characters featured listed below are animal-descended beings advanced from varied Earth mammals in numerous parallel worlds, and the plot focuses totally on Elizabeth Indigo Sandpiper, a canid-descended schoolteacher who journeys removed from dwelling to settle in a tough fronter city on the sting of the State’s Union. However when a brutal raid destroys her dwelling and kills the lady she loves, Elizabeth joins a rebel power, changing into the scary and notorious outlaw generally known as Canine-Bitch Bess.

Alongside Bess’s journey, the novel additionally introduces a second thread occurring in one other timeline that follows Vel Esten, a navy engineer concerned with a Pandominion strike workforce that will get stranded on an unfamiliar world whose inhabitants are being enslaved and subjected to horrible experimentation. Our two storylines finally converge, as Bess picks up an unlikely touring companion within the type of sentient weapon of mysterious origin. Calling itself Wakeful Slim, the “sensible gun” quickly proves to be each the outlaw’s strongest and devoted ally in addition to one of the intriguing elements of the e book.

Because the writer steadily pulls collectively the connections between his story threads and characters, they reveal an even bigger image with a lot to say in regards to the hardships and injustices of a world caught in a perpetually warfare. A whole lot of that is completed by the world-building, portraying the setting as a harsh product of its historical past marked by centuries of colonialism and slavery. Its inhabitants are described as anthropomorphic animals, although their behaviors, motivations, and personalities are so much like ours they could as effectively be people. Not surprisingly, given the e book title, Western tropes additionally abound with an general sense of lawlessness with bandits, gunslingers, and dusty frontier cities.

That stated, the sheer quantity of content material to digest means Outlaw Planet just isn’t an particularly quick or mild learn. The pacing is blended, with some elements coming at you quick in erratic bursts whereas others drag, significantly the center stretch when readers are nonetheless attempting to determine how every little thing is expounded. Throughout these sections, there’s not a lot occurring on the web page whereas large actions are unfolding beneath floor. If it weren’t for the characters, I may need thought of placing this one apart, however Bess proved emotionally partaking sufficient that I felt invested in what occurs to her. Each time we returned to her perspective, I felt invigorated once more with my curiosity within the story renewed. Carey does a cautious and significant job of displaying Bess’s transformation by the completely different levels of her journey, and her relationship with Wakeful Slim manages to change into humorous and unexpectedly transferring with out it feeling gimmicky.

Ultimately, Outlaw Planet didn’t all the time maintain my consideration as strongly as I’d hoped, but it surely made up for that with some large concepts and standout characters. Whereas it’s not even near being my favourite novel by M.R. Carey, it’s additionally a stable and memorable one from him that I loved. It’s good for readers in search of distinctive style mashups and tales that aren’t afraid to discover some heavy, uncomfortable themes. So long as you’re ready and prepared to energy by some gradual transferring bits, this e book is an journey price trying out.